Christmas

What a fun month it's been! December started out with the 25th Anniversary Celebration for our Pastor and his wife Carol.  We collected signatures from friends, family, missionaries and pastors for a quilt.  We told Pastor and Carol we were having a party but left out the details.  I  intercepted the order of service and replaced it with a special one - lots of special songs and a couple special guests.  After the service gifts were given and the quilt (which still needs quilted and bound)  was hanging on the wall in the gym.  It was fun to celebrate these two - they deserve so much more!
Then of course Christmas season is under way - because I was working on the quilt, I put off the making of presents... So I decided to paint my bathroom....( Hmm? That's logical right!?) I also managed to put up 12 Christmas trees this year!
Friday night my kidlets and I caroled (and it even snowed)  afterward was the church Christmas party. Saturday, I had a tea party.  Sunday afternoon my mom and Fredly came over for lunch, Sunday evening I had a revolving party-my house is very little ; so I had the kids come over in shifts. We had cookies, hot chocolate,  looked at Christmas trees and played a game.  One of the little guys asked where the rest of my house was.  :) 
Monday was Christmas at my sister's house.  Today I must sew - gifts for my church family - I'm making pretend tea bags and felt envelopes for the girls... and the boys... Well I don't know what I'm making the boys... They might get something from my store-bought stash.  I also need to finish a baby quilt and the gifts for the rest of the family! 
I've realized that I work better when doing 14 projects at a time! 
Hope this finds you having a Merry Christmas - I will endeavor to post project pictures soon!

Christmas in my Heart

I love Christmas! To think that the Creator of the universe would send His Son, would stoop to become a helpless baby, because He loved me and you and He would rather die than live without us - that's something to celebrate!  Emmanuel - God with us!
Spoiler alert: if my family is reading this - no peeking!
This year is our first year without Granny.  I have her button tins and am making special ornaments for all the grandkids and great grand kids. I made these ones up in less than 1/2 hour,  and didn't even make a dent in the button pile.  I still need to add a poem to the back of each ornament (but it's only half written) and add a hanger. 
I have a whole lot of sewing plans for Christmas but haven't started those yet.  I do have my kitchen decorating almost finished - I started early because I have a couple tea parties planned and have the time n now. Thanksgiving decor is up in the living room. 
Hope you enjoy my pictures!  Have a Merry Christmas and Happy Thanksgiving! 7am special update - I didn't realize it but November 16th is officially  Button Day-rather fitting  for my project! 

I'm posting from my phone so can not put up the raffle copter thingy but if you stop over at our wonderful head elf Marian's blog, www.seamstobesew.com   you can enter to win a $25 gift certificate to the Fat Quarter Shop! There's a prize everyday and Marian has  a free pattern for you too! For even more entries visit the other elves: 

Okay my blogger app is not cooperating  :( and won't let me add the links - please stop at Marian's to visit the others www.seamstobesew.com 

  Monday, November 16

A Stitch In Time

Apple Avenue Quilts

From This To That

Just Let Me Quilt

Quilting Affection Blog

Kwilt Krazy

Tuesday, November 17

Just Because Quilts

Words & Stitches

Feather Your Nest

Patchwork Breeze

Quilt In Piece

Wednesday, November 18

Pink Doxies

Schoolhouse Quilts

Morning Glory

In Stitches and Seams

Moose Stash Quilting

Thursday, November 19

Meadowbrook

Tea Time Creations

Selina Quilts

Living My Dream

Seams To Be Sew 

   

Ornament Exchange My Pinterventures

my pinterventures

 Erlene over at My Pinterventures is hosting a fabulous Ornament Exchange.  I LOVE Christmas ornaments and just had to join. I get to swap with Sharon from the Blue Willow House. Her blog is so much FUN! Lots of Vintage goodies. To get you in the Christmas Mode click here for some music- just remember to come back here :)
My Mom and I got together to make Ornaments the other day and I had way too many ideas flowing- I didn't get as many pictures as I wanted- my phone is out of order. (grrrrr)

Lots of Crafty goodness

We made Christmas Trees with fabric, dowel rods, and thread spools. I've been throwing all my empty spools into a basket and this was the perfect time to get them out! 

scrappy tree fun

These are super easy- just cut scraps into strips (we used 1.5 inch wide and pressed them in half)  Then we tied them around the dowel rod and trimmed them. the one side seems to stick up a bit so we just stuck a bit of hot glue in the "armpit" .


a bit of ribbon at the top for a hanger and a button for the star

Then we wrapped the spools in a bit of fabric, glued and embellished for the tree stand. A wee bit of hot glue on the "tree trunk" and stuck it in the spool.  We also embellished just the spools.

Sorry the pictures aren't better-
my phone has some really good ones

Then as I was playing with scraps I made a paper airplane- It was super cute - so I found some quilted paper and made more- I think I am making lots more of these.

 

This birdie is flying first class this year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Be sure to check out all these other fun ornament makers!

November 3

Books and Writing

From This to That <<you are here

DIY Just Cuz

This Design Journal

I am a Homemaker

Organized by Sunshine

Displaced Yinzer

November 4

My Life From Home

Nets Blog About Jnets Line

10 Acres and 6 Chicks

C’mon Get Crafty

Books and Life

Gardenchick

November 5

Two Purple Couches

DIY Just Cuz

The Kolb Corner

Across the Blvd

insolence + wine

Kentucky to Cali

Living Unfocused

November 6

Our Crafty Mom

Cherishing a Sweet Life

Our House Now a Home

DownhillRun

Weekend Craft

Cupcakes & Crowbars

Olives-n-Okra

November 7

xo, Lorey

Mary and Martha’s House

Casa Watkins

Random Bits of Happiness

Ariel Louise

Dragonfly & Lily Pads

Second Chances Girl

 

There will be more ornaments next week too- My Pinterventures has the entire list!

 

Merry Christmas!



World Piece- I can quilt in another Language.

I am sew excited to share my new bag with you! I've been waiting like FOR ever! I had to hide the fabric in it's little FedEx bag because I knew I would want to share it! :) The fabric is called  Small Wonders - World Piece. Mary Fons talks about the whys and wherefores here. This fabric is fabulous to work with and oh so cute! I even love the logo! There are lines for different countries and I received China. Mary also has a video about the fabric line.

Thank you Springs Creative and Mary Fons for the
 opportunity to play with this fabric!

 

I really wasn't sure what I was going to make with this fabric-  but I loved the colors and the little prints are super. I chose to do something with Chinese Coins- since it is the Chinese line and then I decided I needed to use a Chinese Character. However, all the ones I wanted were REALLY intricate and I'm already using teeny pieces on another project so wanted something a bit simpler. I picked the character for Grace.


I love this definition for the word Grace -
Grace is "God doing in me
 what I can not do myself"

 All mistakes are mine- I do not speak, read or write Chinese and only went by what the various websites told me. So if I am "saying" it wrong I apologize. :)

Thank you to our Librarian for taking the pictures after my phone died!

 I used all of the prints in this line except one (and I have plans for that one) This tote bag was a totally unplanned  "make it up as you go along pattern"     
It is now my favorite bag! Hopefully I can remember how I made it! :)

When I did my measurements for the straps,
 I did something wonky and ended up making them wider
 than planned and they are so comfortable.
 I will be making that mistake again!



I love pockets and this one is TWO! The "Little Rickshaw Dude"
has a magnetic snap pocket and slip pocket behind it.



Three more roomy pockets inside

 I've only used it one day and had a gazmillion compliments!





 

 

 



 

 

Bloggers Quilt Festival

Somehow I missed the announcement for the Blogger's Quilt Festival which is held over at amyscreativeside
But it just started today so I think I have time to enter.  This is for the Original Design Category.
This is Twiddling Toes. 

It is so named due to the fact that I saw the block and wanted a tutorial for it and couldn't find a name for it. 

 

 

I decided it was kinda like a bear paw only the toes are facing inward, like he's twiddling his thumbs or toes as the case may  be.  I discovered later that it is actually a Capital T block but I like my name better. 

 

I wanted a positive and negative effect with the switching of the background and foreground.  I stood on a chair, took pictures, rearranged blocks, took more pictures about 6 or 7 times before getting the center the way I wanted it.  I like the way it has a bow in the center. I didn't really plan it, but the twiddling toes blocks form the letter M in 2 corners and this quilt is for my friends Mr. & Mrs. Miles. 

 

I quilted it with 40wt Aurifil on the bottom and some unknown caramel colored thread I had in my stash.  I have discovered that if I have Aurifil in my bobbin, Sherman doesn't get so cranky about using other thread (he's a much happier machine if I have Aurifil in the top and bottom but a girl's gotta use what she has )
The quilt measures 56x60 and is very snuggly with Warm and Natural Batting.  I did have help with this quilt - the twiddling toes blocks were made as part of the #webeewithit quilting bee.  Thanks to my wonderful hive of helpers I was able to put this together and get it quilted in less than 3 days! Thank you ladies!

Be sure to check out the amazing quilts and categories over at the Blogger's Quilt Festival and vote for your favorites!
Thanks for stopping by!

Mr. Miles looks nice and cozy under his quilt!

Haunted by deadlines

Welcome to my stop on the Halloween Haunts Hop!  A big shout out to Marian for putting this together - it's a ton of work! GRAZIE MILLE
(all my pictures are at the end of the post - doing this on my phone is convenient but doesn't allow for rearranging or captioning pictures) 

**Q: What is mummy’s favourite kind of coffee?

A: De-coffin-ated**

I've been fighting with a sprained wrist since August and am considerably haunted by the ghosts of deadlines past (for my poor waiting swappers: i AM getting caught up! I will let you know when to start haunting the post office)

I started this project at 5pm (procrastinate much?)  and it only took an hour or so.  So I started a pumpkin patch, however, I messed up on the quilting and I believe Reginald, my seam ripper, has run off with one of Jane's seam rippers.  

**Q: What kind of underwear does a mummy wear?

A: Fruit of the Tomb**

My mummy mug rug started with just a piece of  white fabric. I made his eyes and appliquéd them to green fabric and stitched it to the white. I wanted the frayed look so I ripped it in strips.

**Q: Why are ghosts scare of mummies?

A: They always tear up their sheets**

**Q: Why was the mummy so tense?

A: He was all wound up!**

  Then I stitched and flipped and twisted (now I feel like a gymnast.) I sandwiched him with  a scrap of Batting and a scrap of orange fabric. I used some leftover polka-dot binding (I knew I was saving that for a reason.) 

**Q: Why don’t mummies take vacations?

A: They’re afraid they’ll relax and unwind!**

 Previous to  discovering this tutorial from Mommy's Naptime Crafters,  I disliked binding anything but now actually enjoy it. I only had trouble with the ends - never could get it to come out right. One of the girls on Facebook  shared this tutorial last week on a French binding and I love it!  One of those "duh! Why didn't I think of that" moments.  Check it out!

Q: What is the mummy’s favorite musical program?

A: Name that tomb

My other project isn't necessarily Halloween but it does have autumn colors.  I received the "twiddling toes" blocks from my Flickr #webeewithit quilting bee and put them together with fabric I had on hand.  I was hoping to get it finished before church last night but was still putting the binding on it at 6:47 (Church is at 7) so I will gift it on Sunday. 

**Q: What is the mummy’s favorite flower?

A: Chrysanthamummies!**

Fat Quarter Shop is sponsoring our hop with a daily giveaway!  Visit Marian for the link and to vote on your favorite project from today's hop.  

**Q: Why do mummies make excellent spies?

A: They’re good at keeping things under wraps!**

Stop by all these other haunted houses to see their spooky projects! 

Featured Haunts On Friday October 23
Free Motion By The River
Quilt Art
Joan E
It Seams To Be Sew
From This To That <<<--- you are here

God provides

Yesterday I was visiting (via Facebook messenger) with my best friend.  She's been going through some trials, just moved, hubby still needs a job, they are staying with parents. I've been jobless and finances are nil. We were both telling what was happening .  Not complaining or whining just sharing.  It was such a blessing.  Why was it such a blessing? Things are terrible but both of us realize that God is good, He loves us, and He still has everything under control. 
My friend said "I feel like I'm whining when I tell everything that's going on because I am so blessed."  Whisper the facts and shout out the blessings. 
Another friend asked how it was going,  she is one of those people who you can tell that she really cares and really wants to know beyond a "fine"  and I found myself telling the facts but as I talked all those blessings came back to my mind.  I am completely broke but I haven't had to buy groceries beyond a gallon of milk or bread. I've been without a vehicle but I have had a ride wherever I needed to go. I was able to watch my sister's kidlets for a whole week.  And now God has provided a car. I am an activity Director and when I don't have a party to plan it's like withdrawal.  I was able to plan our ladies banquet, and am in the midst of another project using those skills.  Every step of the way, He's provided.
Not because I am anything but because He is Everything.!
Share your burdens with a friend - whisper the facts and shout the blessings.  You'll be amazed at what God does.

Sidebar : my phone has auto correct and every time I type God, it types Good.  God is good and everything Good comes from HIM!

A side of craftiness (Tuesday)

Bloggers, instagrammers, Facebookers, fabric designers, quilters, and everyone else is talking about International Quilt Market.  I know that if I was nearby I'd be there for sure.  But I am at home  working on the twiddling toes quilt and maybe working on my project that I can't share till after quilt market...  And I am enjoying our Revival Meetings at church, tonight is the last night but what God is doing will continue!  Sunday's message on how Great our God is was just one of the best I've ever heard. Monday was on prayer.  (I believe they are on our church's website www.fbcamboy.com) just Amazing preaching!
Have a fabulous fall day!